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Chapter 38: Fist and Fire
Returning to the designated stone chamber for competitors, Liumu found Kakashi waiting. Under his teammate's silent, questioning gaze, Liumu gave a brief account of Mizukage's condition.
"So, you mean Tsunade-sama is really..." Kakashi began, but cut himself off, understanding dawning. The presence of the legendary Sannin in Kumo, under heavy disguise, was likely a protective measure for Konoha's genin team. In these turbulent times, the village couldn't afford to take any chances with its future talents.
Only six competitors remained victorious now: Liumu, Kakashi, Haku (Han), Yugito Nii, the victor of the next match, and one more. This meant that after the next round, one of the final five would receive a bye in the third round.
"The next match: Konohagakure's Liumu versus the Land of Craftsmen's, Cheng!"
"It's your turn, Liumu," Kakashi said, eyeing the names on the display. "Try to engage in close combat if you can."
Liumu scratched his bald head, an embarrassed look on his face. "Even if you asked me to use ninjutsu, I'd have to actually know any first."
Kakashi: "âŠ"
Cheng, the ninja from the Land of Craftsmen, had left a strong impression in his first match, where his peculiar blunt sword had easily defeated a Kumo ninja. The weapon's ability to absorb ninjutsu was troubling.
"Too bad for him," Liumu mused, cracking his knuckles. "I don't know ninjutsu. What's he going to absorb?"
"BEGIN!"
At the proctor's command, Cheng shot forward, his blunt sword whistling as he aimed a horizontal slash at Liumu's head. Liumu simply tilted his head to the side, letting the blade pass harmlessly by. It struck the stone floor with a heavy thwack, sending cracks spider-webbing outwards.
Seeing his opponent already pulling back for another strike, Liumu moved. It wasn't a flashy shunshin, just a simple, impossibly quick step. His right foot came down, not on the ground, but squarely on the flat of the blunt sword, pinning it to the fractured stone. At the same time, his open palm, moving with deceptive ease, was already arcing toward Cheng's jaw.
WHAP!
A sharp, clean sound echoed in the arena.
"Guhâ!"
Cheng's cry of surprise was cut short. His eyes rolled back, a trickle of saliva escaped his lips, and his body went completely limp. He was unconscious before he hit the ground, crumpling in a heap.
"Sei!" his teammates cried out from the stands.
The Kumo proctor, seeing Cheng motionless, hurried over to check. The signs were clear: white-eyed, slack-jawed, utterly knocked out.
"This match is decided! The winner: Liumu of Konohagakure!"
"Hah, as expected of Liumu," the blonde-haired kunoichi disguised as a Sound ninja observed from the upper level, a smile playing on her lips. "No wonder Jiraiya-sensei told me not to treat him like a typical child."
"So, he's Jiraiya's new student," the shadowy figure beside her rasped, his strange eyes glinting. "That raw physical power⊠he'd be better suited as Tsunade's disciple. What can Jiraiya even teach him?"
The blonde kunoichiâTsunadeâfrowned slightly at the comment but didn't refute it aloud. Even Jiraiya had been vague about the source of Liumu's strength. Judging purely by the overwhelming physical prowess he displayed, the sarcastic remark wasn't entirely without merit.
"The following match: Kirigakure's Han, versus Kumogakure's Yugito Nii!"
"Now this is getting interesting," Liumu said, sitting back down with a sly grin as the names flashed on the screen. He muttered under his breath, "A straight-up Kekkei Genkai versus Jinchƫriki showdown."
On the arena floor, the match began. HakuâHanâmoved first, hands forming a single, fluid seal.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique."
A thick, rolling fog billowed forth from nowhere, swallowing the entire combat zone and obscuring both fighters from view.
Yugito's fighting style, observed in her previous match, was fiercely aggressive and close-ranged. Her claws, wreathed in blue chakra flame, were formidable. The mist was a smart opening move, negating her advantage and concealing Haku's position.
Then, from within the opaque white veil, a deep roar emanated. A massive, coiling dragon of glittering ice erupted, its maw wide as it hurtled toward a seemingly empty corner of the ring.
BOOM!
The impact was thunderous. Stone shattered and blocks of ice the size of boulders were hurled outward. Kakashi, seated close to the arena's edge, reacted with instinctive speed, throwing himself sideways. A jagged slab of ice, its edges sharp enough to reflect his startled expression, slammed into the spot he'd just vacated.
Before the debris settled, a new sound cut through the chaosâa high-pitched, shrieking whistle.
"Fire Release: Fire Rat Jade!"
Dozens of searing, blue-white fireballs, each the size of a head, shot out from another section of the mist. They streaked toward the tail of the still-disintegrating ice dragon. The intense heat they radiated instantly vaporized the surrounding fog, clearing a large patch of the arena.
Visibility returned just in time for the spectators to see the fireballs slam directly toward Haku's position. Yet, just before impact, they burst apart in mid-air as if hitting an invisible wall. The resulting explosion revealed what had stopped them: a thick, crystalline wall of ice, now webbed with fractures, stood protectively before Haku.
"When did she make that seal?" Kakashi blurted out, stunned. "I didn't see her form a single hand sign for that ice wall!"
"Pfft, it's normal you didn't see it," Liumu chuckled. "You think everyone is like you, forming seals all honest and proper every time they use a jutsu?"
Kakashi turned to stare at Liumu, his visible eye wide with confusion. "Isn't that⊠normal? How else do you mold and release chakra for a technique?"
Liumu: "âŠ"
He looked at Kakashi's utterly sincere, bewildered expression and decided it was probably kinder not to elaborate. Some things were better left unexplained to avoid shattering a prodigy's worldview.
Taking Liumu's silence for a lack of ninjutsu knowledge, Kakashi turned back to the fight. Of course, he thought, Liumu specialized in taijutsu, which required no seals. The foundational principle was clear: hand seals were the conduit to shape chakra. One-handed seals were a high-level skill, but releasing a complex ninjutsu like that ice wall without any visible seals? It bordered on the impossible.
Faced with Haku's formidable ice defense, Yugito didn't retreat. She crouched low, then sprang forward with feline grace, landing soundlessly in the center of the arena. Her hands moved in a rapid, unfamiliar seal.
"Rat Tail Ball Jade!"
As she completed the seal, another swarm of the brilliant blue fireballs materialized above her. But this time, they didn't fly straight. Attached to each by nearly invisible threads of chakra extending from her fingertips, they streaked out in a wide, encircling arc, completely bypassing the damaged ice wall and converging on Haku from all sides.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
A chain of deafening explosions rocked the arena. Dust, steam, and shards of ice erupted in a dense cloud, completely engulfing Haku's location.
The audience gasped. No one had anticipated that Yugito could manipulate the trajectories of her fireballs with such precise chakra control, turning them into guided projectiles.
Only Liumu, watching from the corner, let out a soft, incredulous snort and shook his head.
"A fireball version of the Guided Fuma Shuriken?" he muttered to himself. "Seriously?"
(End of Chapter)
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